Older Library News

Make Your Mark

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the AHS Media Center for awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome annual ADOPT A BOOK fundraiser. The top designs will be selected for our annual bookplate catalog.

Download the submission form and make YOUR mark on the library today ... or no later than Tue. November 1 to be considered for the first round!

Buttons for Books

The Student Library Advisory Committee is stamping and selling personalized buttons to support the library collection in our annual BUTTONS FOR BOOKS fundraiser.

Stop by the button table in the Media Center for templates for original designs, art supplies, and magazines to cut up. Bulk orders for clubs, classes, and tight-knit friend groups are welcome. Support the library and buy buttons for books!

And check out these hilariously adorable (or are they adorably hilarious?) buttons made by the talented Lara Heermance in celebration of her tight-knit friend group. Wow!

Early Bird Catches the Library Book

We are pleased to announce that the AHS Media Center is now open at 7:30am daily so that students will be able to use the library for a full half hour before school.

By opening earlier, we will provide greater access to technology for those who need it; create a more calm, welcoming environment by alleviating the "morning crunch" of patrons needing assistance before homeroom; and continue to promote pride in and ownership of our school library media program.

The AHS Media Center is open to students before and after school, from 7:30am to 4:00pm daily. Come check it out!

Give Us Your Art

posted Sep 24, 2015, 12:56 PM by Stacy Kitsis [ updated Oct 7, 2016, 12:48 PM ]

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the AHS Media Center for awesomely amazing and amazingly awesome annual ADOPT A BOOK fundraiser. The top designs will be selected for our annual bookplate catalog.

Download the submission form and make YOUR mark on the library today ... or no later than Thu. October 15 to be considered for the first round!

Questions? Stop by or email Ms. Kitsis at skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us.

Curious about bookplates? Check out cool historical examples from Stanford University and the Library of Congress or some of our own previously featured art for more ideas.

Take a Survey, Help the Library

The AHS Media Center is here to serve you! Please help us help you by participating in this brief survey. We will carefully consider all responses.

• AHS Media Center Student Survey

If you complete the survey by June 19, we will enter you in a drawing to win a $15 gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Thank you and best wishes for a happy summer!

Buttons for Books

It's time for the Student Library Advisory Committee's second annual BUTTONS FOR BOOKS fundraiser. For a mere $2 we will make you a 2" button featuring the design of your choice! Draw on our button template*, design something on the computer, clip a picture from a magazine, whatever you like!

Buttons are fun, quirky, and inexpensive options for club swag, class swag, or self-expression, and we will hand-make it right in front of you! No wait, no shipping fee, and total freedom of design. We will be at lunch on Wed. May 20 through Fri. May 22 and in the library after school, or just drop your order off with library staff at any time.

*If you print the template yourself make sure you print actual size and NOT fit to page.

Hooray for Poetry

A little late (better than never, right?) but we would like to thank and congratulate the Student Library Advisory Committee and the Poetry Club on a very successful and as everyone present agreed at its conclusion FIRST ANNUAL poetry open mic.

We had more than 50 people join us, with a special shoutout to our Japanese visitors and the GSA for a terrific showing. Wow! Another kudos to Mr. Bourassa, Ms. Bessette, and Ms. Walsh Bradley for stepping up to the mic.

Open Mic @ Your Library

Come one, come all, to our first* OPEN MIC @ YOUR LIBRARY in honor of National Poetry Month. See you there!

*First ... annual??

Thank You to Our Volunteers

A huge thank you to the brave men and women who volunteered at our second annual SPRING CLEANING @ YOUR LIBRARY this weekend. Despite the beautiful weather, they came in to battle the dust bunnies, and prevailed. We appreciate your efforts!

Arlington Reads Together

This year's Community Read in Arlington is MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE by Annabel Pitcher. The AHS students who have read this book this year have RAVED about it. Check out the complete calendar of events online, including a Teens Only Book Chat with CRAFTS on Wed. March 18, 3:00pm-4:00pm. Happy reading!

The Wayback Machine

How can we as a society preserve our most important cultural artifacts when they are intangible and constantly changing? In other words, how do you archive the internet?

Read about the nonprofit Internet Archive and their magical Wayback Machine in this New Yorker profile. Then go look up old versions of the AHS homepage, just because you can.

Hot Off the Press

The new and improved AHS Research Handbook is hot off the press! Except that it's actually a website, so there were no presses involved.

The handbook is in draft form this spring, with some features still to come. Please check it out and let us know what you think.

And because we're all about saving YOU time, use our shortened URL for extra easy access: tinyurl.com/ahsresearch.

From Page to Screen

What do In the Heart of the Sea, Insurgent, Paper Towns, The Scorch Trials, and Frankenstein have in common? They're all slated to become movies in 2015.

Check out 21 Books To Read Before They Hit The Big Screen In 2015 from BuzzFeed Books. Happy new year, y'all!

Periodic Table of Storytelling

Stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW and head over to the Periodic Table of Storytelling. Interactive story elements, all linked to the amazing TVTropes site. Combine them to form story molecules. Go nuts!

Fun Dates for Math Lovers

Were you as excited about 12/13/14 as I was? As devastated when it was over?

Never fear, the Smithsonian has us covered with their article After 12/13/14, What Are the Next Fun Dates for Math Lovers?

Learn what's so special about 11/13/17, 08/13/21, and 01/11/21, and why these cats are marching with calendars.

Our Books, Your Art

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the Arlington High School Media Center for awesome annual ADOPT A BOOK fundraiser. We will choose the top designs for our catalog of choices.

Download the submission form and make YOUR mark on the library today ... or no later than Mon. November 17 to be considered for the first round!

Sanitized for Your Pleasure?

The New York Times reports on popular nonfiction books that have been "slimmed-down, simplified and sometimes sanitized" for children and young adults. Are publishers dumbing down and oversimplifying to squeeze out more sales? Or are they meeting the needs of an audience that wants to read about more vampires and dystopias?

Read the article:

• To Lure Young Readers, Nonfiction Writers Sanitize and Simplify

What do YOU think?

Done Testing?

All done with testing? Congratulations! Now pay it forward.

If you're done with your gently used AP or SAT prep books, please consider donating them to the library for future students!

Tech in the Library

We created a presentation for the AEF Technology Showcase last week that answered the question, "How does technology enrich library instruction at Arlington High School?" Check it out! And teachers, if you see something interesting, please ask about how we can replicate it with YOUR students.

Buttons for Books

The Student Library Advisory Committee is holding our first annual BUTTONS FOR BOOKS fundraiser, where we will make you a button (a circular pin about two inches across) featuring the design of your choice! These are fun, quirky, and inexpensive options for club swag, class swag, or self-expression, and we will hand-make it right in front of you! No wait, no shipping fee, and total freedom of design. Details follow:

On Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16, we will be making buttons in the Cafeteria at lunch and in the Media Center after school.

The price is $2.00 per button.

If you would like to order in bulk (as for a class or for a club), it may take up to a week to process, so get your order in soon! Let us know what design you would like, how many buttons you want, and when you need them by, and we will deliver them to you!

The button template and instructions are available online and in the Media Center. If you print it yourself make sure you print actual size and NOT fit to page.

If you need suggestions of what to do with your button or are interested in seeing samples, talk to Mrs. Kitsis.

Hope to see you there!

Trouble with EasyBib?!

There seems to be a problem with the Sign on Through Google option in EasyBib. Should be temporary but if you're having trouble logging on and need access to your files, don't panic! We can reset your password while we find out what's happening. Just email Ms. Kitsis at skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us and let her know.

Update: All fixed! Let me know if you have any problems.

Fields of the Fatherless

Join us for an afternoon of young adult historic fiction! Elaine Marie Cooper will be reading and speaking on Sat. May 17th at 2:00pm at the Smith Museum in the Jason Russell House at 7 Jason St. From the press release:

History has well-documented the skirmishes between American colonists and British forces at Lexington and Concord that triggered the American Revolution in April 1775. Lesser known is that the deadliest fighting of the day took place down the road in Menotomy Village, which is now Arlington. Cooper’s book,Fields of the Fatherless, brings the harrowing yet inspiring days of April 1775 to life.

The story is told through the eyes of Betsy Russell, 18-year-old daughter of the real-life Jason Russell, who was killed on his home’s front step. Though some details are fictionalized, Cooper’s story is guided by eyewitness accounts plus the historic record of the battle and ensuing events.

Fields of the Fatherless is Cooper’s fourth book examining the Revolution and early America. This book benefits from her deep understanding of the time and the empathy she has for the people of a small village caught up in the turn of history.

During her talk, she will read from Fields of the Fatherless, discuss what village women and children experienced the day of the battle, and talk about what draws her to this story.

This event is free and open to the public. Also, it should be awesome.

No Books Were Harmed

No books were harmed in the making of this video! At least, we hope. Check it out: the Seattle Public Library attempts to set a world record in book dominoes.

How Much Did That Typo Cost?

Have you heard about the case of the $80 million missing hyphen?? Check out this article in Mental Floss on 10 Very Costly Typos and THEN try telling your English teacher that comma splices don't matter.

Eoin Colfer at the Ottoson

Amazing opportunity for fans of Artemis Fowl! Eoin Colfer is coming to visit the Ottoson Middle School this spring and Arlington students have first crack at tickets. The event is scheduled for 4:00pm on Monday, April 7, 2014. To attend, you must pre-order a book (admits one student and one adult, or one student and a friend). Download the pre-order form for complete information and an opportunity to enter a special contest.

We're in the Spotlight!

posted Jan 16, 2014, 8:05 AM by Stacy Kitsis [ updated Jan 16, 2014, 11:41 AM ]

The Arlington High School Media Center is the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA) Spotlight Feature for the month of January! They highlighted our recent renovation, dedicated to former principal Charles Skidmore. Click the photo to read more as well as see some cool before and after photographs of our transformation. Thanks, MSLA, for our turn in the spotlight!

Geniuses Are Rarely Tidy

Exciting news! Our very own Arlington High School senior (and leader of the Student Library Advisory Committee, among her many accolades!) Tess Ross-Callahan has had an essay "Geniuses Are Rarely Tidy" published on the Teen Ink website with a special "Editor's Choice" designation for outstanding work. Click here to read it. Tess wrote the piece as a memoir assignment for Ms. Eidson's creative writing class, so congratulations to her as well!

Teen Ink is a national teen literary magazine, book series, and website, accepting writing and artwork by students ages 13 to 19. It's a great way for to become a published author or artist so consider submitting one of YOUR creative works: www.teenink.com/Submissions.

Happy reading, writing, drawing, painting, photographing, and otherwise creating, everyone!

Take Our Magazine Survey

Got two minutes to spare? Take our brief survey about which magazines you would like to read in YOUR school library!

Student Magazine Survey

Thank you for your input!

Source: Image via Creative Commons license from EandJsFilmCrew.

Draw Inside a Library Book!

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the Arlington High School Media Center through our ADOPT A BOOK program. Download the submission form or visit the Media Center for details and make YOUR mark on the library today!

To be considered for the first batch of bookplates, your design must be received by Ms. Kitsis in the Media Center no later than Friday, November 15th.

Questions? Stop by the Media Center or email Ms. Kitsis at skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us.

Curious about bookplates? Check out these cool historical examples online from Stanford University and the Library of Congress.

Getting Started with EasyBib

All Arlington High School students and staff now have access to subscription EasyBib School Edition accounts courtesy of Arlington Public Schools. Hooray! If you're already using the free version of EasyBib, upgrade today to take advantage of advanced features such as note taking and website evaluation tools. If you haven't used EasyBib in the past to help create your works cited pages, you're in for a treat.

If you are at school, all you need to do is go to EasyBib.com and click on Register and then Google to logon with your Spyponders account (no new passwords to memorize!). You can also email Ms. Kitsis with any questions or for the coupon code to set up your account from home.

When It's Okay to Draw Inside a Book

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the Arlington High School Media Center through our Adopt a Book program. Download the submission form for details.

To be considered for the first batch of bookplates, your design must be received by Ms. Kitsis in the Media Center no later than Monday, November 5th.

Questions? Stop by the Media Center or email Ms. Kitsis at skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us. Curious about bookplates? Check out last year's artwork for inspiration, or these cool historical examples online from Stanford University and the Library of Congress.

Late Hours Begin Today

Beginning today, the Media Center will be open until 4:00pm every afternoon, Monday through Friday. Hooray!

Please come and enjoy the space while you do homework, use the computers, read a book, meet with study groups, or just take a little downtime. Be sure to say hello to our new after-school Media Center Supervisors, Ms. Cochrane, Mr. Fant, Ms. Kirtley, and Ms. Slade when you do!

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school, everyone! We're ready for an exciting new year at the Arlington High School Media Center, with several new initiatives here or about to launch. In the meantime, check out this open letter to YOU from young adult author rockstar John Green.

His latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars, has been selected for the Arlington Reads Together book this fall. It's either the funnest sad book I've ever read or the saddest funny book I've ever read. Let me know what you think!

Ray Bradbury Dies at Age 91

Ray Bradbury, master of science fiction, author of Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes, died on June 5, 2012 at the age of 91. Read his obituary online at The New York Times.

Then go pick up a copy of one of my all-time favorite books, The Martian Chronicles. We'll miss you, Ray!

Kristin Cashore Reading

Come hear Kristin Cashore read from her new book, Bitterblue, at Harvard Book Store on Thu. May 31st at 7:00pm. For free!

Bitterblue is the third book in the series that began with the bestselling Graceling and Fire. From the Harvard Book Store website:

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

Get the complete details online.

Free EasyBib Trial

Students at Arlington High School are eligible for a FREE trial to EasyBib School Edition from now until the end of the school year.

Why sign up? The subscription version of EasyBib allows users to save and return to multiple bibliographies, which can then be exported to Word or Google Docs, and to use the online note taking features.

How do you get your free account? It's simple! Go to EasyBib.com and click Register, then enter coupon code arlington2012 to get started. If you already have a free account, upgrade using this same coupon code. Any student or teacher at AHS is eligible to create an account. Watch this brief video (three minutes) for more information.

If you have any questions or encounter any problems, see Ms. Kitsis in the Media Center for help. Then be sure to let us know what you think about this service for future years!

Student Library Advisory Committee

The next meeting of the Student Library Advisory Committee (SLAC) is this Tuesday, January 31st after school. We will be discussing furniture options for the Learning Commons redesign and our yearbook photo will be taken, so don't miss it! As always, all are welcome.

Textbooks Are Here

Breaking news: we have textbooks! Beginning this week, you can check out a history or math textbook for use (within the Media Center only, please) during your studies. We will be adding several science textbooks and novels for English classes shortly.

If you purchased a textbook for home use that you no longer need and it's still being taught in the high school, consider donating it to the Media Center where it can be used by others.

Wikipedia Going Dark on Wednesday

Planning to do a little casual research this week? Don't wait until Wednesday, when Wikipedia will be going dark in protest of two Congressional bills focusing on copyright and the internet. According to the New York TImes:

Wikipedia is the latest Web site to decide to shut on Wednesday in protest against the two Congressional bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, often called SOPA, and the Protect IP Act, which is often called PIPA. The bills have attracted fierce opposition from many corners of the technology industry. Opponents say several of the provisions in the legislation, including those that force search engines and Internet service providers to block access to Web sites that offer or link to copyrighted material, would stifle innovation, enable censorship and tamper with the livelihood of businesses on the Internet.

Read the full story online. The news was announced in the following tweet by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia:

Extreme Book Sculptures

Now I'm not advocating that you go out and start carving up books, but aren't these book sculptures by Guy Laramee breathtaking?

The artist, who has previously worked as a director, composer, singer, painter, maker of musical instruments, and more, writes: "So I carve landscapes out of books and I paint Romantic landscapes. Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains. They erode a bit more and they become hills. Then they flatten and become fields where apparently nothing is happening. Piles of obsolete encyclopedias return to that which does not need to say anything, that which simply IS. Fogs and clouds erase everything we know, everything we think we are.

See more carved book landscapes at the Colossal art and design blog.

Missing Voices Book Fair

Stop by the Media Center on Wed. Dec. 21st to see the Missing Voices Book Fair with displays about great books made by Ms. Schultz's students. Vote for the best display and the most enticing book. And while you're in the library, why not pick one up to read over the holiday?

Take a Book Home for the Holidays

We have a fresh batch of new books at the Media Center. Stop by and find the perfect one to curl up with in front of the fire over vacation.

Thank you to everyone who adopted these books for the library at parent conferences last month. Missed us then, but want to give a book to the library? It's never too late! See our Adopt a Book page to learn more. Running late on holiday shopping? Sponsoring a book in someone's name for the library makes a great gift!

Just don't leave these great books all alone in the library over the long, cold winter break!

Join the Student Library Advisory Committee

The first meeting of the Student Library Advisory Committee will be Tuesday, November 15th after school in the Media Center. Help turn the library into YOUR library, from new books to new furniture! Refreshments will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

Can't make it to the meeting but want to join? Just email Ms. Kitsis and we'll add you to our mailing list.

Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

You may not know this about me yet, but I'm a huge fan of speculative fiction. Earlier this fall, National Public Radio (NPR) asked its listeners to rank the top science fiction and fantasy books of all time. The results are in, with lots of great reads to pick from. But how to choose?

The online journal SF Signal has our backs, with this amazing flowchart. Click on the image for a larger version, or read the original post at SF Signal.

Itching to read one we don't have? Use our online form to make a suggestion.

Make Your Mark, Design a Bookplate

Bookplates, also known as ex-libris, are decorative labels placed in the front of books bearing the name of the owner. Simple or ornate, they often feature beautiful design and artwork.

All students are invited to submit designs for bookplates to commemorate donations to the Arlington High School Learning Commons through our new Adopt a Book program. Download a submission form for details.

To be considered for the first batch of bookplates, your design must be received by Ms. Kitsis in the Media Center no later than Friday, November 11th. Questions? Stop by the Media Center or email Ms. Kitsis at skitsis@arlington.k12.ma.us.

Curious about bookplates? Check out these cool historical examples online from Stanford University and the Library of Congress.

Become a Gmail Ninja

Are you getting the most out of your Gmail account?

Our email accounts offer a wealth of features that, if you're anything like me, you haven't even dreamed of yet. Check out the Become a Gmail Ninja tutorial from Google for a wealth of tips and tricks.

Bonus: Fans of keyboard shortcuts, this article from Lifehacker can help see that you never (well, hardly ever) touch your mouse again.